Research Associate: Horizontal Gene Transfer

The University of Sheffield is a remarkable place to work. Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Their diverse backgrounds, abilities and beliefs make Sheffield a world-class university.

We offer a fantastic range of benefits including a highly competitive annual leave entitlement (with the ability to purchase more), a generous pensions scheme, flexible working opportunities, a commitment to your development and wellbeing, a wide range of retail discounts, and much more.

Overview

We are looking for a Research Associate to join our team exploring how horizontal gene transfer (HGT) shapes plant evolution. This position will bridge large-scale comparative genomics and population genetic approaches to uncover how genes move and persist across plant lineages.

In the first phase of the project, you will analyse over 400 flowering plant genomes from the Darwin Tree of Life initiative and use phylogenomic pipelines to quantify the frequency and diversity of HGT across angiosperms. The second part of the project will focus on natural populations of the grass Alloteropsis semialata in Tanzania and Zambia. We will generate whole-genome data for thousands of individuals to estimate the frequency spectra of transferred genes, with the aim of inferring the distribution of fitness effects and the background rate of HGT in natural populations

The post will be supervised by Dr Luke Dunning at the University of Sheffield and embedded within the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB) Research Cluster. This is a highly collaborative project, and it will involve working closely with other post-doctoral researchers and academics from the Universities of Edinburgh, Oxford and Bangor.

You will lead the bioinformatic and evolutionary analyses, with opportunities to contribute to field sampling and molecular lab work. This is an excellent opportunity to play a central role in a pioneering, interdisciplinary project on genome evolution and adaptation in plants.

Applicants must have a PhD (or equivalent postdoctoral level work experience) in a relevant area along with a proven track record of research in an appropriate area of biology. Expertise in developing bioinformatic pipelines and experience of phylogenomic analysis are also essential

Main duties and responsibilities

• Lead bioinformatic and phylogenomic analyses to identify and characterise HGT events across flowering plants.
• Analyse whole-genome Illumina datasets from natural populations to estimate the rate and fitness effects of HGT in natural settings.
• Participate in field sampling and molecular laboratory work as required.
• Collaborate closely with project partners across the Universities of Sheffield, Edinburgh, Oxford, and Bangor to ensure effective data sharing, analysis coordination, and synthesis of results.
• Take a lead role in data analysis, interpretation, and preparation of results for publication.
• Prepare manuscripts for submission to leading scientific journals
• Present findings at national and international conferences.
• Attend and contribute to lab meetings and project meetings with collaborators.
• Contribute to the supervision, mentoring, and training of students and other research staff within the lab where appropriate.
• Carry out any other duties commensurate with the grade and scope of the post as required.

Next steps in the recruitment process

It is anticipated that the selection process will take place three weeks following the closing date. This will consist of an interview which will include a research presentation. We plan to let candidates know if they have progressed to the selection stage within two weeks of the closing date.

What we offer

• A minimum of 41 days annual leave including bank holiday and closure days (pro rata) with the ability to purchase more.
• Flexible working opportunities, including hybrid working for some roles.
• Generous pension scheme.
• A wide range of discounts and rewards on shopping, eating out and travel.
• A variety of staff networks, providing opportunities for social interaction, peer support and personal development (for example, Race Equality, LGBT+, Women’s and Parent’s networks).
• Recognition Awards to reward staff who go above and beyond in their role.
• A commitment to your development access to learning and mentoring schemes; integrated with our Academic Career Pathways
• A range of generous family-friendly policies: paid time off for parenting and caring emergencies, support for those going through the menopause, paid time off and support for fertility treatment and more